In 2008, a few friends in Vancouver recognized that a voice was missing from reporting in our country. National news was increasingly international in nature. Provincial was disappearing. And, local seemed out of touch with its audience.

So, they started writing the kind of content they wanted to read.

Hyperlocal stories aimed at helping people foster a deeper connection with their city. Discoveries of new restaurants. Rising stars in startups. As well as a whole lot of amazing people, places, and things going on, in between.

And, fortunately, other people wanted to read it too.

In 2016, after eight years in the west, we introduced ourselves to Toronto. Since then, we have been heads-down, focused on earning our place as a trusted source of quality content for every Torontonian.

For nearly 15 years, Torontoist has captured the tenor and texture of life here in Toronto, and advocated to make the city even better. And you, its readers, loved Torontoist for it. Only a handful of media brands in the city can say the same.

We are proud to be long-time followers – and, prouder still to be Torontoist’s new owners.

To our new readers, we pledge to carry on the legacy of Torontoist. After all, we were fans-first, just like you. Everything you love about Torontoist will continue at Daily Hive Toronto, with just a bit of our signature flair.

If you follow the news in Toronto or if you’re interested in technology, you’ve probably heard of Sidewalk Toronto by now. It’s a joint project of Sidewalk Labs, a sister company of Google, and Waterfront Toronto. This is the tech giant’s first foray into urban development and infrastructure, with Toronto hosting the pilot project.

In January, I submitted a freedom of information request to Waterfront Toronto, asking for some information about Sidewalk Toronto. I’ve been particularly curious about something called the “Framework Agreement.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking aggressive action on divestment.

A growing list of large institutional investors around the world – state and provincial pension funds, university endowments, and most recently, New York City itself, have been aggressively divesting from fossil fuel investments so as to do their part in mitigating against climate change.

Here in Toronto, it’s been a different story. Prominent institutional investors, like the University of Toronto and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, have been slower to fully embrace the divestment movement in the same way as many of their American counterparts.